The Australian runner Jay Vine won the 3rd stage of the Romandie Tour, the French Alex Baudin keeps the yellow jersey.
The Australian Jay Vine (UAE) extracted from the peloton under the red flame to win the third stage of the Romandie Tour on Friday, a circuit of 183.1 km around Cossonay traveled without great hint of a fight. Frenchman Alex Baudin kept the leading yellow jersey before the queen of the race on Saturday, between Sion and Thyon 2000 (128.4 km) with three first category passes, including the final rise.
Friday, the peloton let go of a few escaped from the first meters of the day. 64 kilometers from the finish, a group of three (Bauke Mollema, Stefan Kung and Huub Artz) was four minutes ahead of the rest of the runners. In the mere difficulty of the day, the Mollendruz pass classified in the second category (14.6 km at an average of 3.4%, and a maximum slope of 10%) and positioned about forty kilometers from the finish, Kung attacked. He was caught up by Artz, but Mollema was distant, then Artz dropped in turn.
Martinez and Evenepoel in ambush
Meanwhile, warm under the sun and in a two-minute peloton that did not seem determined to catch up with the escapes, the Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Sudal Quick-Step) was sliding to recover a pocket of ice and refresh the neck. And yet, despite an apparent disorder, the peloton picked up Kung about ten kilometers from the line.
And with the red flame marking the last kilometer, it was Vine who detached himself to cross the line with two seconds ahead of the peloton led by the French Lenny Martinez (Bahrain). The Portuguese Joao Almeida (UAE), at the same time, completed the podium. Evenepoel ended up in the peloton (7th). For his first test by stages since his serious fall in training in early December, he lost three places to the general and points to 9th row, still 52 seconds from Baudin.
